Saturday, 11 June 2016

Misogyny & bigotry in the Shiva purana

Vyasa said :-O sage, if you are pleased with me you shall narratesuccinctly what was mentioned by Pañcacūḍa (
पञ्चचूड) viz., thatwomen are despicable.

Sanatkumara said:-O sage, women are light-minded. They are at theroot of all troubles. Attachment towards them should notbe pursued by wakeful persons who desire liberation.In this respect they quote an ancient tradition, theconversation of Narada with the unchaste woman Pañcacūḍa.Formerly, while the intelligent celestial sage Naradawas wandering in the worlds he saw the beautiful celestialdamsel PañcacūḍaThe excellent sage Narada asked the beautifulwoman, the Apsaras -"O lady of beautiful waist, I have acertain doubt. Please explain it to meO brahmin, thus addressed the excellent celestialdamsel replied-''lf you consider me competent and if thereis a proper subject, I shall explain."Narada said:-O gentle lady, I shall never engage you in a subjectbeyond your scope. O lady of slender waist (one wonders why Narada, a celibate saint is looking a the woman's waist), I wishto hear from you the nature of women.Pañcacūḍa said:-"O sage listen, being a woman I cannot censurewomen. You already know what women are and what theirnature is.O celestial sage, it does not behoove you to urgeme in such a question." After saying this the excellentApsaras Pañcacūḍa kept quiet.On hearing her excellent statement the most excel·lent of the celestial sages replied to her with a desire for thebenefit of the worlds.Narada said:-It may be wrong to make a false statement. Thereis no defect in speaking the truth. Know this, O lady ofgood waist and speak the truth.Pañcacūḍa said:-O Narada, this is the defect in women. Evenwomen of noble families, women with husbands and womenendowed with beauty do not stand within the limits ofdecency.There is none more sinning and more sinful thanwomen. Women are at the root of all sins. This you knowalready.They might have husbands of good knowledge, ofample wealth, of great comeliness and pleasing to them. Butwhen they get opportunities for erring, they do not wait.O holy lord, this is the evil practice of all of us, women, that we resort to sinful men casting off all shameand shyness.Women love only those persons who solicit theircompany, who approach them intimately and who renderthem a little bit of service.Women usually do not observe the limitations ofconventional decency. If at all they stand by them withtheir husbands it is because no man makes advances to themor because they are afraid of their husbands.There is no man not worthy of honor to women.They are not mindful of the age of the man. They carryon their dalliances (Sex) with any man ugly or beautiful.It is not due to fear, taunts or affection for theirhusbands or regard for their lineage that women remain loyalto their husbands.Even women of noble families aspire for the lifeof lascivious women who in their prime or youth adornedwith lovable ornaments and beautiful wearing garmentsmove about frivolously.Even the women who are honored well, lovedintimately and looked after with care become attached tohunchbacks, blind men, imbeciles and dwarfs.O celestial sage, they become attached to lameand even despicable persons. O great sage, there is none inthe world who cannot be approached by women with solicitationsof lust.O brahmin, if women do not get men for theirdalliance (Sex) they begin to indulge in abnormal sexual activity (Lesbianism)with one another. They do not stand by their husbands.Women become desperate when they do not getmen, when they are afraid of servants, when they arefrightened of being killed or imprisoned. Because they indulge in sexual intercourse as theyplease they are fickle minded, of evil deeds and emotionallyincomprehensible even to an intelligent man.Fire is not satiated with the logs of wood it consumes;the ocean is not satiated with the rivers that flowinto it. The god of death is not satiated with the livingbeings he kills and women are not satiated with the numberof men they cohabit with. (Basically the author thinks that women are sluts). O excellent sage, there is another secret of allwomen that immediately on seeing a man their vaginalpassage begins to exude slimy secretions. On seeing a man fresh and clean from his bath withhis body perfumed with sweet scents, the vaginal passage ofwomen begins to exude like water dripping from a leatherbag.Women do not brook their husbands who maygive all that they love, who may honor and console themand who may look after them well.Women do not remain satisfied and contented somuch with simple loves and pleasures and with ornamentsand money as with illicit love pursued by them with othermen.Women can be kept equally balanced againstall these put together viz., god of death,Yama (God of Death), Antaka,Pitila, the submarine fire,the sharp edge of razor, poison,serpent and fire.Ever since the five elements, the world, the menand women were created by Brahma, O Narada, the defectlies in women always.